Interact Club Collects For Food Bank

President's Day on Monday, Feb. 18, was a holiday for school
children all over the country, but Payson High's Interact Club
wasn't sleeping in.The students got out of bed early and to gather
food for the St. Vincent De Paul Food Bank.

President's Day on Monday, Feb. 18, was a holiday for school children all over the country, but Payson High's Interact Club wasn't sleeping in.The youth rose early and hit the streets gathering food for the St. Vincent De Paul Food Bank.nteract is Rotary Club for high school age teens.It is a service club that is in its fifth year in Payson.The club's board,ed by president Jen Sandoval,lanned 10 service projects this year.The food drive was something new, and turned out to be a wonderful success.The students canvassed neighborhoods in Alpine Village, Elk Ridge, Forest Park, and Alpine Heights.The residents of Payson were very generous, and in three hours time, the club had collected 2,000 cans of food.

Wayne Parent, the manager of the food bank, was surprised by the unexpected visitf 20 kids.

"You are a godsend," were the first words out of his mouth.He then invited the club inside to see why.The shelves were bare.One pallet of food on the floor was the total inventory at Payson's food bank.

"We've tried to get food from Phoenix's main Saint Vincent commissary" he explained, "but they're out of food too.We were just at Wal-Mart to see what we could afford to buy."

He went on to explain thatver Christmashey receive many contributions, but this time of year, with the holidays behind us, people tend to forget about the food bank.ayson's Interact Club is sponsored by Payson's two Rotary Clubs:Payson Rotary that meets at noon every Wednesday, and the Rim Country Rotary that meets at 7 a.m. every Thursday.Both clubs meet at Tiny's Restaurant.